By His Side

Chapter Fifty One

Three Weeks Later

"Have you ever seen anything like that? Ever?"

"Not in my sickest nightmares."

"That may be the fucking funniest thing I've ever seen with my own eyes!"

"How long do you think it's been here?"

"I'm gonna get a stick and poke it."

"Hey yeah, we can stir it around and see what happens!"

"No, Quil, no Brady, nobody's gonna do anything with a stick."

"Aw, man! Why not?"

"Well, number one, because I'm your Alpha and I said so. Oh God, I never thought I'd ever hear myself say something
like that. Number two, since we don't know how long it's been here, we don't know if it might still be able to...do something."

"Well, what the hell do you propose we DO do Mr. Baby Alpha?"

"Bite me, Paul. Gimme a minute."

"Why doesn't it smell?"

"Hey, you're right, it doesn't stink!"

"Cause it's the opposite of something that died, you moron. It was already dead and then...it got like this...and...it...lost its stink...
yeah, that's it. It lost its stink when it did whatever it did to get like...that."

"Quil, will you give it a rest? Please? Hey! Don't do that!"

"I'm just looking!"

"Okay, enough, all of you! Paul, toss me your lighter. Mine's out of fuel."

"Sure, Bossman. Catch!"

"Okay, stand back a bit, everyone."

"Careful, Jacob."

"Yeah, you don't know where that thing's been."

"Shut up, Quil."

"What are you plannin' Jake?"

"I'm just gonna torch it, as per usual. Why, what's the problem, Embry?"

"Well, it's just that this is so unusual, to find one just lying on the ground like this, in a dozen pieces, not trying to move back
together, not stinkin', I mean, dude, that's just wrong."

"Well, okay, everybody back up some more...and Leah, throw that stick over here."

"Which stick?"

"The one in Quil's hand."

"I coulda thrown it to you, Jake."

"Yeah, but I wanna keep both of my eyes in their regular places."

"Oh, ha, ha."

"Yeah, yeah. Back up, back up."

Jacob took a greasy shop rag out of his jeans pocket and tore it partially in half, wrapping it around the end of the stick procured
by Leah. He flicked the lighter and lit the rag, which quickly began to give off a black, smoky fume that almost smelled worse than
burning bloodsucker. He stood back as far as he could, reached out with his long arm and touched the flaming rag to the closest
piece of vampire. The effect was a little like turning on the gas for a barbeque grill but waiting to light it for too many seconds.
The PHOOM! that went up sent the entire Pack leaping back several feet. More than one of them began to giggle hysterically as
they fell over each other in retreat, marveling at the mushroom cloud Jacob had produced.

But then, something totally unexpected happened. It appeared that the main reason that the pieces of vampire didn't stink may
have been because the incendiary ammunition, the fuel supply, that caused them to go up in a blaze in the first place, presumably
their venom, had flowed out of the pieces and soaked into the ground around the remains. While the Pack laughed and joked or in
some cases cautiously eyed the conflagration in front of them, they all began to unconsciously shuffle their feet. All of them were
barefoot, practically their natural state. They started off with the shuffling, then it grew to nervous fidgeting, then anxious dancing.
After about 60 seconds, an area of forest floor about 50 feet square burst into flame under their feet. Almost as one, 11 wolves, along
with a panther and hawk, leaped into the air howling, still in their human forms. They were virtually too surprised to phase and were
hurriedly tip toeing backward desperately searching for cooler ground. Arms were flailing, knees were pistoning up and down, hot soles
were seeking some green grass, some nice chilly mud, anything.

"What the...?"

"What the...?"

"Jake, your pants legs!"

"Oh shit!"

"That's it, I'm gettin' the hell outta here. Anyone coming to the river with me? For a nice cool wading party?"

"Hang on, we can't leave this fire here in the middle of the woods unattended!"

"And you just wanna tell us how to fix this, Smoky?"

"Hey look, it's dying down!"

"What are you doing, Paul?"

The volatile warrior of the Pack had slipped out of his shorts and phased unnoticed during the dancing and discussion. His big gray
wolf was working his way around the perimeter of fire scratching and scrubbing his claws into the dirt. He was strutting his paws
straight out behind him and moving around the flames, tail and butt leading the way. He was digging a fire break around the
vampire pyre.

"Hey, Paul's markin' his poopy territory! Way to go Lahote!"

"Jared, Seth, phase and give him a hand will ya? Quil! What are you doing? Oh my God!"

Jacob buried his face in his palms, shaking his head and yet trying not to laugh. He didn't want to encourage him. Quil had slipped
out of his shorts as well, phased, and was now making his way around the fire zone following Paul's path, nose to nose with Paul,
and lifting his hind leg every few feet. Jacob started to yell at him to stop, until he noticed it was working. He cast a rueful glance
over at Leah and Maggie and tried not to smile too big at them.

"Perhaps you'd like to turn your heads, ladies?"

Leah scoffed a laugh at her Alpha, whipped off her tee-shirt dress and phased in the blink of an eye. She could actually participate
in this fire drill and she began 'dousing' the flames alongside her Pack brothers who all soon followed her and Quil's lead. Maggie
declined to participate, hanging her own head when she saw her grandfather stripping down.

"Papi!"

"What? I'm not gonna miss out on the fun Magnet! I'm not that old, ya know!"

In the weeks following the 'Vampfire Weenie Roast' as Quil continued to refer to it, 4 more broken leeches were found in the same
condition as the first one. Learning from their hot foot mistake, Jacob made sure that someone had been sent to fetch a fire
extinguisher, or at least a bucket of water, before the additional ones were burned. This was also deemed an acceptable alternative
to the original 'watering' technique. The reason the 'pee fest' wouldn't be repeated was established when Embry, Paul, Jared and a
gasping for air Quil banged on Jacob's door early one Saturday morning. The Alpha yanked open his back door, rubbing his sleepy
eyes, his bed head on display, his unzipped shorts just barely hanging onto his hips.

"What the hell? Hold it down guys, if you wake the babies, Bella will have your hides. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Oh man, Jake! It's time for you to come out here and phase with us! You have got to see this!"

Rather than attempt to argue with them, Jacob eased out onto the back porch pulling the door shut quietly behind him. They all
dropped trou on the porch and phased as they trotted toward the back of the yard. The wolves banded together to show their leader
what each of them had witnessed. In the headline news that was the Pack Mind, Jacob saw a series of 'clips' showing the area where
the first broken vamp had been burned and then given a collective golden shower to put out the residual flames. There were countless
occurrences of various and sundry woodland creatures approaching the spot, stopping and sniffing nervously, glancing around anxiously,
and high-tailing it out of the clearing as quickly as their paws, hooves, whatever, could carry them. All five of the wolves had begun to
snicker and chuff. It sounded like a water buffalo and a moose drinking from a watering trough.

"What is that all about?"

"It's simple, Jake! They're scared!"

"Scared? Why would all the animals in the woods be scared?"

"Because Jake, that bit of prime real estate has been severely marked! By eleven wolves, a panther and a hawk!"

"It's been claimed! I doubt any other animals will go near that place for months!"

"Oh, man! Well, thank Taha Aki it's a remote location on the edge of our territory."

"Oh, it's on OUR territory all right!"

"Oh, hell! Stop it now, Quil!"

The mystery of the broken leeches was beginning to grab all of the Pack members' attention. Jacob had altered the patrol run rules
to emphasize sight equally with scent detection since the scattered vampire pieces seldom had any smell left to them. Bella began
to be worried that some new monster had invaded the area and was preying on the vampires. Jacob tried unsuccessfully to calm her
fears about that bizarre possibility.

"Jake! What if I'm right, though? If there's something else out there that can do that do a vampire, what else might they be capable
of damaging?"

"Bells, Honey, don't get carried away on me now. We don't want to jump to any conclusions about new species of monsters, do we?"

"Carried away! What if it's something that wants to carry away people? Jake! We have to move! Or take a long vacation!"

"No, come on now, Bells. We're not moving and everybody's safe. Whatever is happening, it's only happening to bloodsuckers. No living
creatures have been attacked. Breathe, Honey. You're freaking out the boys."

The Alpha female's meltdown was postponed and the pups were spared their mother's anxiety attack when Sam and Seth came into the
edge of the back yard and howled loudly. Jacob hugged Bella quickly and popped a little kiss on each son before he dashed out the back
door. As he phased and ran toward Sam and Seth, most of the rest of the Pack phased in as well.

"What's going on, guys?"

"We're here! What is it?"

"What's happening?"

"Where's the fire?"

Sam's wolf rolled his eyes at Quil's query and lowered his head, thankful that Jake was Alpha now.

"Seth and I were patrolling the Northeast perimeter just now; we thought you'd all want to see this."

They all looked inward to bear witness to the scene from the far edge of the Reservation. Seth and Sam trotted easily side by side enjoying
an uneventful tour of duty. Suddenly, as they rounded a copse of pine trees and glanced toward a clearing that straddled the territorial
boundary they saw two bright red-eyed vampires standing stock still and staring back at them. The vamps looked at each other, nodded
in silent agreement, and took off at a full-speed run straight at the stunned wolves. As Seth and Sam separated and crouched in defensive
positions, the vampires sped toward them, and the wolves gaped in shock as both vamps came to a dead stop. They came in violent contact
with a completely invisible wall, right at the boundary the march had established, and shattered into huge chunks, splattering around
like meteor fragments. And they did not move again.

"Well, would you look at that!"

"Son of a gun!"

"Proof!"

"It freakin' worked!"

The collective celebratory howl resounded through the forest. Birds and other fauna scattered in fright. Pups wailed in sympathy and waved
their tiny fists and chubby little feet. Pack children who were toddler ages laughed and ran around crazily, with no purpose or reason. The
most significant response, which was reported in mass phone calls later that night, was a wave of calming warmth and general good vibrations
that spread across the Reservation and all of the claimed protected territory. The hastily organized bonfire on First Beach that very night
resembled a New Year's Eve or Fourth of July celebration. The wild jubilation was infectious and the revelry extended into the wee hours of
the following morning.

Jacob and his Packmates vowed to continue their vigilant and rigorous patrolling for an unspecified time to come. They just wanted to be sure.

Bella wondered if someday soon, they would all be able to just breathe, for the first time in a very long time.